Like Father, Like Son
by HecateA
Summary: An examination of patterns and family trees in Greek mythology. Oneshot.


**So I got this request forever and a day ago, and I started writing it for The Parenthood Drabbles. However it quickly and clearly became a stand-alone story- I literally could have elaborated this forever (writing about times before Olympus and the childhoods of gods is actually a great source of entertainment ) but here's the final product. I hope that you enjoy!**

**Dedication: For the incredibly patient F.A.L.T.U. who asked for**_**Ouranos, Kronos and Zeus**_

* * *

**Like Father, Like Son**

* * *

**Ouranos **

One of the disgusting children wandered away from his mother's game and came to him. He closed his meaty hands around Ouranos' legs and made a moaning sound probably intended to receive attention. If that was the case, it worked and Ouranos looked down.

It was one of the mistakes. The kind with the hands that sprouted from everything. Neck, shoulders, back, spine, ribs, hips, a million places in the torso... the hands gripping Ouranos' legs were unnaturally protruding from the sternum.

"Get away!" Ouranos yelled, thunder booming, prying the child away from him with all his might. A dozen cracks sounded as the little boy, for fault of a better term, hit the marble floors of the palace.

**Kronos**

"My Lord," the servant said stepping into the throne room. "Rhea has given birth."

"Finally," Kronos said.

"She is late, sir."

"It's a daughter?"

"Yes. Bring her to me anyways. I don't want to take any chances."

"Alive or dead, sir?"

"It hardly matters," Kronos said. "In the end it's all the same."

**Zeus**

"A hero died today," Hermes said.

"Which one?" Zeus asked.

"Yours," Hermes said. "Well, once of yours."

Zeus was still lost.

"They say that his name was Winston."

"English or American?"

"English I believe."

Zeus looked down at the railing.

"He was a good man."

"Do you even remember his surname?" Hermes asked.

"Go away Hermes," Zeus said. He was fairly certain that it was Churchill.

**Jason**

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Jason confided. Everyone in the hospital waiting room had the same face.

Percy patted his back. "Don't be worried."

"What if I screw up, Percy?"

"You're not going anywhere, are you?"

"What? No."

"Then you're fine," Percy said. He was trying to be comforting (maybe) but it wasn't working.

"What if it's in my blood, Percy? What if I just physically _can't _be a good father? What if the kid's going to hate me like I hated my Dad when I was a- well, yesterday?"

"I don't think it's in your blood, Jason."

Jason burried his head in his knees.

"I am _so _going to be sick," he said.

* * *

**Iapetus**

Kronos' mind was rheeling but they all looked at him for orders, as if he knew how to organise and build a world anymore than his siblings did. Iapetus didn't mind dumping the responsibility on him.

"We need to hold the sky," Kronos said in his sticky-sweet voice, on the edge between charming and creepy as always. "Mother warned us of it. That's... that's the first step."

The Titans all nodded.

"Four pillars, then. One in each direction. Krios, you can take the South, Koios you can handle the North. Hyperion- take the East. Iapetus? The West. You can hold up the sky in the West."

"Perfect," Iapetus said. There was plenty to see in the West.

**Atlas**

"Don't think I can't see you," Atlas roared.

Zeus paused.

"I'm just doing my rounds," he said.

Atlas nearly lost his footing but he saved it just in time.

"Taunting us. Laughing at those of us holding up the world. Oh wait, no. Laughing at _me." _Atlas said, trying to get Zeus into a fight. One day he'd trick the king into taking the sky, one day...

"No," Zeus said. "If I wanted to laugh, I'd laugh. But I'm doing my rounds. Also try not to talk. It wastes your energy."

* * *

**Rhea**

She had to admit that the child was cute. Odd, maybe. She wasn't entirely used to seeing babies with bottoms like horses. But swaddled up in cloth, sleeping innocently with his fists clenched... he was okay.

"I can't believe you did that," Rhea said softly. "I can't believe you... he's your child and not mine."

Kronos didn't answer.

"Don't you understand how wrong that feels?" Rhea said. "Don't you understand how violating and vile that is to me?"

Kronos didn't answer again. Rhea knocked the scythe out of his hand with her knife.

"Well?" She spat out, feeling as if venom was also spewing from her lips.

**Hera**

"What's this one's name?" She spat.

"Thalia," he said. "Thalia Grace."

"Oh lovely. A pun," Hera said. "I hate puns. I also hate you every now and then."

She didn't even let him reply, she just stormed out of their chambers.

* * *

**Oceanus**

"Are all the celestial bodies sunk into your sea for the night?" Ouranos asked.

"Of course, Oh Lord," Oceanus said annoyed. Sure he spent his time in the ocean. Of course he didn't like coming out any more than he appreciated the company of the other Titans. But he wasn't incompetent.

**Poseidon**

"Brother, remember," Zeus said. "June 8-"

"Is World Ocean Day and so I am to be clement about ships and possible boating accidents because they will all be at sea and they will all try to help out while messing the ocean up more," Poseidon finished for him. "Yes, Zeus. And as you may remember, I'm the one who's in charge of the ocean and ergo has these dates memorised. Just by the way."

Zeus shot him a look and Poseidon reflected it with a glare of his own.

* * *

**Gaia**

From the moment his hand fell in hers, she knew that she wouldn't be strong enough to hold on to him.

But did she ever try.

The last of the Cyclops, Arkan, fell into the depths of Tartarus with his siblings. Gaia's throat was raw from all the screaming. The earth underneath her feet shook hard, but not enough for Ouranos to budge. As per usual.

"What have you done?" She screamed, though her voice was stretched and painful. She shook. She teared up. She paled.

"It was necessary," Ouranos promised.

"Throwing a child into Tartarus was necessary?" Gaia roared. "Throwing _my _child into Tartarus?"

That's when she felt it. A kick in her back. Her kidney. Her stomach. Her pelvis.

"Damn you," she said tearing up. They were deep within the earth. She _felt them. _Felt them cry and try and wrestle themselves free... Felt the pain of her children, physically, as if her own wasn't enough to bear.

"It was necessary," he repeated placidly. "You will understand in due time."

"Why not now? Why not now, you coward? Admit that these children didn't have to..." Gaia screamed in pain and didn't finish. She only buckled to her knees.

By the time the world stopped spinning around her, she realised that Ouranos was gone and that really, she didn't care anymore.

She.

Didn't.

Care.

**Rhea**

The child probably laid on her chest for seconds.

It felt shorter.

Seconds wasn't enough to completely register, comprehend and appreciate the weight of a newborn, the warmth, the sound of the first (of many) waves of tears... She'd only gotten a flash of the colour of his eyes. Her mind was as exhausted as her body, and she felt so sticky and warm and heavy that everything was slow and dull.

"Take him," the guard at the door ordered the midwife. "Take him to his father."

Rhea gasped. "No."

A young nymph came towards her.

"No," she repeated.

The child was picked up and suddenly the weight, the warmth, and the sound of tears was gone. Or growing distant. The crying grew louder.

"No!" Rhea cried, bolting upwards. Her entire body suddenly tensed with pain. She was moving too quickly, and there was still the afterbirth...

The midwife put a hand on her shoulder to lie her down. No, Rhea was pinned...

"No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "No! Poseidon!"

"We've been through this dearest," the midwife said. "Don't name them. You get too attached."

The door closed and the baby was gone forever.

* * *

**Hyperion**

"Come," Hyperion gasped. "Child. Zeus."

"I am not a child," he said, his eyes nearly entirely consumed with light. With the power that all of the gods had managed to tap into.

"No, of course not," Hyperion baffled. His fingers felt like they were about to fall off. He had no powers for the first time in his life. Tartarus drained them all. _This _was the epitome of terror for an immortal. "Zeus, I am your uncle. We are family."

"Family doesn't standby while other family gets _eaten," _Zeus said. The celestial bronze chains around Hyperion's wrists and ankles were drawn more tightly.

"No, of course not, I..."

"I don't care," Zeus said. "You can't play the family card now, Uncle. Not now. Goodbye."

And with that, another Titan was cast into Tartarus.

**Hades**

"No. Nuh-uh. I have places to be," Thalia said. She pushed the shadows off of herself. "Nope. Not interested."

Her cousins didn't argue with her.

"Thalia Grace, I'm sure that with your experience..."

"What, that stupid quest with the sword that your freaking child bride just threw on us years ago?" Thalia said. "That's not experience anymore than I'm a gorgon."

Her cousins didn't take the chance to turn that last bit against her.

"Surely you understand how crucial this quest is to my kingdom, niece..."

"Oh, 'niece' now, is it?" Thalia said. "Fantastic. Let's sing Kumbaya now."

"She has a point," Percy said. "I mean, for family's sake I'd love to help, but I've got a kid with a piano recital in fifteen minutes."

Nico starred at his shoes. "There are other powerful demigods, Dad. Sophie and Andrew take their classes at the same academy, so..."

* * *

**Kronos**

Pain.

An infinity of it.

A sea of screams.

Hands wrapped around bars, shaking them until they lost the energy living took.

Eternal darkness.

Prison guards so terrifying that the details in his mind were blurry, as if the colours and shapes didn't dare to settle.

_Do you hear them?_

Kronos shook his head and drew his breath. "Mother stop."

He felt Gaia's hands tear away from his temples. The screaming faded right away and he was pulled from the vision. He shivered.

_Do you see? _She said. _Do you understand what I'm telling you?_

"Yes," Kronos said.

_You see how injust their capture was. You see how painful their lives are. These children are mine, those siblings are yours._

"I have to do something." Kronos said.

**Zeus**

"He _ate _them?"

Hagno shook her head miserably. "You're still a child, Zeus."

"That's not what I asked. I have… I have brothers? And sisters?" He asked again. He'd always known he had parents, he'd grasped at least that much about how things were brought into existence. But siblings? This was new, and even more exciting. See, they hadn't abandoned _him._

"Zeus…"

"Like, full siblings or half siblings? How many of them? I have brothers, right? Not just sisters?" The satyrs were always complaining that their nymph sisters were super annoying. Actually, Zeus didn't care. Sisters would be cool too. Just... wow. _Siblings. _

Hagno closed her eyes and shook her head. "Your father Kronos has many sons. The centaur Chiron, for one. Your mother Rhea bore him three, and three sisters as well."

"And he ate them _all?"_

"Chiron is free. I don't know where he is, but he is definitely free."

"But… _my _siblings? _My _family?"

He saw the pain on Hagno's face. She'd been his family all this time. She didn't like seeing him suddenly look farther than her arms, her voice and her home… but Zeus couldn't help it. The mountain was beautiful, but he didn't belong on it. He wasn't a nature spirit; he stuck out like a sore thumb. But if there was somewhere where he belonged, somewhere he was meant to be…

"Yes, child. Your siblings were devoured. Your mother managed to save but one of her infants. You."

His stomach sunk.

"She abandoned me," he said. "That's… That's what you always told me."

"Well then maybe I haven't told you the truth," the nymph said pitifully. "Maybe I tried to protect you."

"From what?" Zeus said. "I'm safe on the mountain, he thinks I'm dead. That part is still true, right?"

"Right," Hagno said. "But maybe your destiny scares me more than I can say. Just because it all seems to be one horrible pattern."


End file.
